Pentax Japan adjusts Q10 availability

On its Japanese-language website, Pentax Ricoh Imaging has today announced an adjustment to its planned delivery date for the tiny Pentax Q10 compact system camera. Initially slated for availability from mid-October 2012, the Q10 will now ship from October 26th in the Japanese market.

Pentax's statement goes on to apologize to its Japanese customers for the delay, which is said to be due to parts supply issues. On the plus side, although the Q10 body and its kit version with the Pentax-02 Standard Zoom lens have been delayed, delivery of the dual-lens kit (which also includes the Pentax-06 Telephoto Zoom lens) has been brought forward. Previously slated to ship from early November, the Q10 dual-lens kit will now be offered on October 26th, alongside the body-only and single-lens kit versions.

Of course, all of these dates apply specifically to the Japanese market. We haven't yet heard anything to suggest there will be a delay in other markets. In the United States, Pentax's initial delivery estimate was October 2012, and the only available version includes the Pentax-02 Standard Zoom lens. The Pentax-06 Telephoto Zoom is only available separately in the US market, and this too was set for October availability. Pricing for the Pentax Q10 kit in the US market is set at around US$600, while the telephoto zoom lens is priced at US$300.

Alongside its announcement of the delay, Pentax Japan has also announced plans for a shoulder bag made specifically for the Pentax Q10 by Japanese fashion brand SHIPS. Just 7.5 inches (19 cm) wide, the Q10xSHIPS camera bag is made from brown pleather, and fits the camera body plus all six Q-mount lenses, a spare battery, and a spare SD card. The bag will be fulfilled by mail, and offered only to Q10 buyers providing proof of purchase later this year.

Announced last month, the Pentax Q10 is closely related to the earlier Pentax Q. There are a few key changes. The most noticeable of these is a new body with better ergonomics, but which is slightly larger, and constructed from plastic rather than magnesium alloy. The Q10 also bears a newer-generation image sensor, but still with 12.4 megapixel resolution from a backside-illuminated, 1/2.3-inch type CMOS chip as in the earlier camera.

The base sensitivity of the new chip is slightly lower at ISO 100 equivalent, versus ISO 125 in the Pentax Q, although the upper limit of ISO 6,400 equivalent is unchanged. The metering system's working range has been extended just slightly at the low end, as well. Battery life has been improved by around 9%, with the Q10 rated as good for some 250 shots to CIPA testing standards.

And there are likely some software changes as well, although we don't yet have specifics. (Pre-production models at Photokina offered a new focus peaking function, as seen previously on the K-01 and K-30, but this isn't mentioned in the Q10's marketing materials, so we're not sure if it will appear in final production-level cameras.)